The "Energy" is Great Here!

In the common room of the dorm at Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), several of us are enjoying catching up on special Saturday Night Live episodes surrounding the election, after an intense and fulfilling first day of our Climate Change Fellowship. Upon our arrival at SERC this morning, we met our other teammates and immediately began connecting our common interests and brainstorming big-picture visions for the future of our climate and our livelihoods.

After a quick overview about the program and safety guidelines, we spent the rest of the day getting to know the scientists that we'll be working with this week, including Dr. Geoffrey ('Jess') Parker, head scientist in the Forest Ecology lab at SERC and other field staff. They are all extremely engaging and knowledgeable about forest and conservation ecology, and their energy is already rubbing off on us.

Specifically, we learned about the history of logging and forest management in the immediate area, as well as the ways in which carbon is stored and released as part of the natural cycle of forest ecosystems. We also received an overview of the forest research that's already been done over the last twenty or thirty years at SERC. We continued on to the Earthwatch field office to learn some of the field techniques we'll be using to count the number of trees within hectare plots (approx. 2.5 acres), further separated into manageable 10m subplots. During a miniature tour of the forest with the principal investigator, we familiarized ourselves with the tree species' common to this area, including tulip poplar, white oak and hickory. We also analyzed the difference between what is thought to be the only small patch of old growth temperate forest in the area, as compared to the more recently logged areas that are in recovery mode. The difference in the size of the trunks of the trees alone was telling, but we learned to look at the nature of the bark as well as an indicator of age.

After our tour, we learned how to individually measure the "DBH" (diameter breast height) of sixteen trees in a sample plot - as well as their canopy classification - and entered our individual data into a collective spreadsheet so that we can analyze our measurements for consistency in the morning, before going out into the field to do the real work. It's been made clear to us that a very important piece of this long-term scientific project is to ensure that each participant contributes accurate measurements throughout the week, so that the overall results are up to the standards set before us.

Our evening session was further proof that the initial excitement and synergy amongst our team members was real. We continued to delve into each other's backgrounds and learn about each other's reasons for participation in this fellowship. Our brainstorming session ran long as we continued our discussions on flip charts and through our dinner time, documenting all the thoughts coming from our stream of consciousness-like session. Some of the initial themes addressing climate change in our communities and organizations included the more typical: getting corporations to act more responsibly, analyzing the impact of tourism on our region and how to approach tourism differently, social marketing of "greener" actions, awareness and restructuring of mass transportation and/or smart growth, and reducing our energy consumption. As the week goes on, we'll be able to clarify our thoughts and priorities further, but it's wonderfully inspiring to be around people who feel and think critically about these issues like I do.

As I finish writing this, the TV has been turned off (after much laughter) and our team has headed to bed to rest and prepare for our second day. It is absolutely clear that we are a part of a fellowship in the truest sense of the word. Our thoughts have progressed beyond the present day, looking ahead to tomorrow, when we will elect a new president and focus our collective energy on whatever is to come.

Danielle Williams